It appears that his recent motorcycle accident — sustained while filming the upcoming drama Me Too, Flower! — was bad enough that Kim Jae-won will be needing shoulder surgery, which is the reason that he was reportedly dropping out of the drama.

However, Kim Jae-won has come out with an official statement, delivered via his agency, stating his desire to keep filming. It doesn’t mean that he will — just that he’s going to try to stick with the production.

His agency described the accident: “On the drama’s first shooting day on October 4, Kim Jae-won was riding a motorcycle that went from a standstill into sudden acceleration, and to avoid injuring people around him, he applied the front brakes. As he did that, the bike lifted into the air at nearly a 90-degree angle, and that led to his shoulder dislocation. He was then taken to the emergency room.”

The statement continued, “Through three detailed examinations, it was determined that Kim ruptured his ligaments and cartilage, and a fracture was detected in the bone. He was told he would need three to four weeks of rest. If he were to dislocate his shoulder again, he was told he may disable it and that surgery would be necessary.”

Despite his condition, his management is not ready to make a definite answer whether he will continue or withdraw: “Kim Jae-won and the producers have worked hard in preparation for this drama, so he is hopeful that while he takes three to four weeks to rest and recover, he will be able to return to filming and stay till the end. More than anything, he and the producers have great attachment to this drama, and he is regretful that things have turned out this way. He promises to do his utmost to come to the best decision with the producers. He wishes to convey his apologies to his fellow actors, the viewers, and fans.”

Okay, now that we’ve got the facts down: WHAT THE WHAT, DRAMA? Two weeks before your scheduled premiere and you still don’t know whether or not you have a leading man? I repeat: TWO WEEKS.

Kim’s commitment is great, of course, and I’m sure he’s feeling all sorts of guilty and responsible for putting the production in the lurch. However, I worry that sticking to the show is not in his best interests, and certainly not the safest condition for his health. If you almost flip a motorcycle on top of yourself and half-tear out your arm from your socket, you might want to take care of that before getting guilted into about three months of grueling, all-night shoots. This drama was not operating on a leisurely timetable to begin with, and this uncertainty just messes with it even more.

And what about the producers? What if Kim Jae-won ends up too injured to continue, only now you’ve stopped looking for a replacement and wind up truly and utterly screwed? How are you going to put out a drama about several women (Lee Jia, Seo Hyo-rim, Han Go-eun) entangled with a multiple-identity-possessing hero when you have no hero?

Eeeep. I hope Me Too, Flower can pull itself together and make it work, if only just because it’ll be too sad if it doesn’t.